Bleacher seat splice



June 19, 1951 J. w. CRICHTON BLEACHER SEAT SBLICE Filed Aug. 30, 1949 4INVENTOR, JAMES w. CRlCHTON ram M! m, 4 ffDk'n a Patented June 19, 1951UNITED BLEACHER SEAT SPLICE James W. Crichton,.. Portland, reg.,assignor to Timber Structures, Inc... Portland, 0reg., a core p r ionnDe awar Application August 30, 1949, Serial No. 113,146

8 *Glaims. (Cl. 155e..130)

The present invention comprises an improve.- ment in seating structuressuch as temporary bleachers used to seat spectators at games, paradesand other spectacles. The principal purpose of the present invention isto provide a sturdy knockdown structure of this type which is absolutelysafe when in use, such purpose being achieved by interlocking meansholding the bleacher seat boards or equivalent members in place on theinclined beams or equivalent members which provide the framework for thestructure.

A further object of. the present invention is to provide a structure ofthe foregoing type in which seat boards extending'between adjacentsections need not be overlapped as in prior structures. overlapped seatboards are dangerous in that someone might stumble over the pro.-jecting end of the upper board. and, in any event, are annoying anddecrease the available seating area in many cases. By the use of thepresent invention a bleacher comprising as many sections as are desiredmay be provided, in which the ends of all seat boards in all sectionsare abutted so as to provide continuous seats with all. portions thereofat the same levels.

A further object of the present invention is to provide bleacher seatboard splicing means which absolutely prevent longitudinal separation ofabutted seat boards maintained in horizontal alignment with each other.Such longitudinal separation of the seat boards and subsequent shiftingof the boards to bring their ends tightly together again have resultedin serious damage claims, which is not possible with the presentinvention.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bleacher seatconstruction in which the ends of each of the seat boards are preventedfrom longitudinal splitting, thereby .eli m i.- nating one cause ofmaintenance expense.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a seat boardsplicing construction which need not be assembled to exactly closetolerances since a portion of the construction comprises splicing meanshaving a wedgin effect tending to maintain the abutted ends of boards incontact at all times.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present inventionmay be more readily ascertained from inspection of the followingspecification taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, while the features ofnovelty will be more distinctly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a portion of a bleacher using thepresent invention, the view being taken substantially along the line l-lof Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of a portion of a bleacher showing thepresent invention in use;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 33 ofFig. 2;

Fig. .4 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 4-4 ofFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken in a. plane closely adjacent theplane of Fig. 3,. showing a modified form of latching means for thesplice; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing another modified' form oflatching means. for the splice;

A bleacher formed. in accordance with the present invention comprises aplurality of inclined beams It included in the framework of thebleacher. A plurality of. seat board supports ll are maintained on topof each beam and a plurality of depending footboard supports I2 aremaintained below each beam, the upper and lowersupports being held inposition by bolts I3 extending through feet on. the ends of a pairofupper and lower supports. As seen clearly in Fig. 1, the bolts It mayextend normal to the longitudinal axes of the beams 10 and the shape ofthe supports H and I2 may be such as to maintain the forward edges ofseat boards I4 vertically above the rearward edge of floor boards I5,supported on the supports H and I2 respectively. Each of the supports. Il preferably comprises a strap including a. saddle portion having ahorizontal part l6 terminating in upward-1y extending bights l?extending at least partially around the side edges of the boards [4- toprevent lateral shifting of boards placed on the saddle portions. Eachof the supports l2 comprises a saddle portion l8 of the same width asthe floor boards 15 and the upwardly extending leg portions whichpartiallyv embrace the side edges of the boards to prevent lateralshifting thereof.

As seen most clearly in Fig. 2, a pair of seat boards It may be disposedupon the saddle portion of one of the supports H with their ends inabutting relation to each other. Inorder to maintain the seat boards insuch position, means areprovided .to prevent longitudinal separation .ofthe abutted ends thereof and vertical separar tionof the abutted ends ofthe boards from th saddle portion .of the support, such means pref..-erably comprising a T-shapedsplice 26 adapted enough beyond the bolts 2|to permit free in sertion of the wedge tips of the arms and the stitchbolts 2! are positioned far enough from the end edges of the boards sothat the cam surfaces of the tip portions 23 draw the end edges of theboards firmly together. The ends of the boards thus are provided withinwardly extending depressions terminating in openings through theboards.

with the top of the boards, but in new constructions the stitch bolts 2|may be spaced far enough from the end edges of the boards to preventflush seating of the splice, which may :be corrected by driving thesplice downwardly with a maul, or the splice may project a slightdistance above the seat board without being uncomfortable. The leg 24 ofthe splice projects downwardly through a central opening 25 in .thehorizontally disposed portion 16 of the sup- .port ll, the leg of thesplice thus preventing longitudinal displacement of the boards from thesupport. In order to prevent vertical separation of the boards from thesupport, displaceable means are provided to latch the leg 24 againstbeing lifted through the opening 25, in Figs. 3

.and 4 the same comprising a split ring 26 which is inserted through anopening 21 in the leg 24 and projects laterally beyond the surface of.the leg 24 to a greater distance than the width of the opening 25.

The arrangement is pref- .erably such that the top of, the splice restsflush and is preferably locked in position by a sleeve nut 30 seated ina countersunk opening in the opposite edge of the board so as to lieflush with the rounded surface thereof.

The floor boards conceivably could be overlapped at their ends since itis not necessary .that the ends thereof should lie flush with eachother, but in order to eliminate the possibility of someones trippingover a projected end, and in order to provide fioor boards which may beinterchangeably used as seat boards and thus reduce to a further extentthe different types of boards used in a temporary seating arrangement,the boards l5 are preferably identical to .the boards l4 and arepreferably placed in abutting relationship to each other on the horiratedisplaceable means such as the split ring '1' 2B. This form of latchingmeans, compr sesa arrangement.

short chain fixed at one end to the horizontal portion [6 of thesupport, and carrying at its other end a Wire hook 36 adapted to passthrough the opening 21 in the leg 24.

A further modification is disclosed in Fig. 6 wherein the displaceablelatching member comprises. a leaf spring 40 having its lower end weldedor otherwise afiixed to the lower end of the leg 24 and its upper endbent laterally and projecting into the opening 21 in the leg. The leafspring is permanently biased outwardly so 'asto engage the strap l6 atone side of the open- [ing 25, but may be manually depressed so as topermit withdrawal of the leg from the opening, and will be automaticallydepressed upon forcing the leg downwardly through the opening.

It is to be appreciated that the present invention may be utilized inassembling other temporary structures and that the seat boards and floorboards herein illustrated are representative of elongated members whichare to be maintained in horizontal alignment with their ends in firmabutting relationship.

Having illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, it should. be apparent to those skilled in the art that theinvention permits of modification in details and I claim as my inventionall such modifications as come Within the true spirit and scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. Means for holding a pair of elongated members such as bleacher seatboards horizontally in alignment with their ends maintained firmly inabutting relation to each other, comprising a support upon which theends of a pair of end- -abutted, elongated members may rest, saidsupport having an opening therethrough, each of said boards having aslot extending longitudinally from its end, means spanning each of saidslots and cooperating with the sides and inner end thereof to define anopening, and a T-shaped splice spanning the joint between said members,said splice having depending portions on its arms engaged in' saidopenings for anchoring said members against longitudinal separation andhaving its leg passing through said opening for anchoring said membersagainst longitudinal displacement from said support.

2. A portable bleacher construction comprising an inclined beam, a pairof boards extending horizontally in alignment with each other in adirection normal to said beam with their ends abutted, and means tomaintain said boards in position comprising a support mounted upon saidbeam and including a saddle portion underlying the abutted ends of saidboards and at least partially embracing the side edges thereof, saidsaddle portion having a central opening therethrough, stitch boltsspanning the ends of said boards inwardly from the end edges thereof,the ends-of said boards being longitudinally slotted 'to expose centralportions of said stitch bolts,

and a T-shaped splice having its arms engaged with the'exposed centralportions of said bolts to maintain the boards from spreading apart andits leg depending through the opening in said saddle portion to preventlongitudinal shifting of the ends of said boards from said saddleportion, and means cooperating with the leg of said splice to preventlifting of said boards from said saddle portion.

3. A portable bleacher construction comprising .'a beam, a pair of seatboards extending horizontally in alignment witheach other ina directionnormal to said beam with their ends abutted, and means to maintain saidboards in position comprising a support mounted upon said beam andincluding a portion underlying the abutted ends of said boards, saidportion having an opening therethrough, stitch bolts spanning the endsof said boards inwardly from the end edges thereof, the ends of saidboards being longitudinally slotted to expose portions of said stitchbolts, and a T-shaped splice having its arm engaged with the exposedportions of said bolts to maintain the boards from spreading apart andits leg depending through the opening in said portion to preventshifting of the ends of said boards from said portion, and meanscooperating with the leg of said splice to prevent lifting of saidboards from said portion comprising a displaceable latch member which,when in position, projects from said leg and is engageable'with theunderside of said portion.

4. A seating structure comprising means for supporting seat boardsincluding a horizontally disposed strap having an opening therethrough,a pair of seat boards having their ends resting on said strap, each ofsaid seat boards having a slot extending longitudinally of its endportion and a transverse bar spanning said slot, a T shaped splicehaving a depending wedge tip on each arm disposed with its arms in theslots oi said boards, the depending wedge tips of said arms embracingsaid bars and its leg passing through said opening, and displaceablemeans cooperating with the leg of said splice below said strap toprevent accidental displacement of said splice from said strap.

5. A knockdown structure comprising a supporting strap, a pair ofelongated members having their ends abutted and resting upon said strap,each of said elongated members having a longitudinal slot therein and abar spanning said slot, a splice comprising a T-shaped member havingdepending tips on its arms, said tips having inwardly disposed camsurfaces adapted to embrace said bars and wedge the ends of saidelongated members firmly together, and means for latching said splice tosaid strap to prevent displacement of the ends of said elongated membersfrom said strap.

6. A portable bleacher comprising a supporting strap, a pair of boardshaving their ends abutted and resting upon said strap, each of saidboards having a longitudinal slot therein and a bar spanning said slot,a splice comprising a T-shaped member having depending tips on its arms,said tips having inwardly disposed cam surfaces adapted to embrace saidbars and wedge the ends of said boards firmly together, and means forlatching said splice to said strap to prevent displacement of the endsof said boards from said strap.

7. A seating structure comprising a horizontal saddle, a pair of boardshaving their ends abutted and resting upon said saddle, each of saidboards having a longitudinal slot extending inwardly from its end edge,means spanning each of said slots to define therewith a terminalopening, a splice comprising a T-shaped member having depending wedgetips on its arms disposed with its arms in said slots and the tipsthereof depending through said terminal openings, said tips havinginwardly disposed cam surfaces adapted to wedge the ends of said boardsfirmly together, and means for latching said splice to said saddle toprevent displacement of the ends of said boards a from said saddle.

8. A seating structure comprising a metal strap defining a horizontalsaddle, a pair of elongated fiat members having their ends abutted andresting upon said saddle, each of said members having a longitudinalslot extending from its abutted end edge, means spanning each of saidslots at a distance below the upper surface of the member andcooperating with the end and sides of said slot to define an opening, asplice comprising a T-shaped metal member having a depending portion oneach arm, the arms of said splice being seated in said slots and restingon said means with their depending portions engaged in said openings,the upper surface of said splice being substantially flush with theupper surfaces of said members, said strap having an openingtherethrough and the leg of said splice depending through said openingin the strap, and displaceable latch means cooperating with said leg andsaid strap to prevent separation of said members from said saddle.

JAMES W. CRICHTON.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Pinson et a1 Mar. 7,1944 Number

